Power Emerging
by MartyrFan
Summary: Martyr, J:3:3, overheard Dr. Max talking about "shared consciousness" experiments going on at Camp Ragnar. What does this mean and what's going on at Camp Ragnar while Martyr's escaping from Jason Farms? A oneshot for Jill Williamson's Replication: The Jason Experiment. Rated T for violence.


He stared at the ceiling of the room. M:5:2, or Neuron, contemplated his current circumstances late at night at Camp Ragnar. He was a clone of a man named Dr. Maxwell Jordan. When he had learned this and what it meant he had spent much time staring at any reflective surfaces he could find. He was a copy of another person, cursed or blessed to wear the face of someone else. Normal children often looked like their parents, but they were rarely exact copies. At least he wasn't alone in that regard; there were others with his face as well.

Four of them were in his unit, the M:5s. There were forty-eight clones total in the facility. They comprised a mixture of the clones of five different people: Dr. Jason Dean Kane at Jason Farms, the leader of the "enterprise," Dr. Maxwell Jordan at Jason Farms, Dr. Robert Elliot at Jason Farms, Dr. Carl Sanders here at Ragnar, and Dr. Wesley Wung of Ragnar. These men were responsible for their creation, their existence. They believed themselves to be superior to their own clones, to be gods over them. How absolutely wrong and conceited of them.

Neuron and the others had been lead to believe that the air in the outside was toxic, that when they reached age 18 they would expire and their blood would be used to create a cure for those who lived outside, to save them from the illness caused by the air. Until three months ago, they had believed that lie. A year ago, the C:3s were called up to level 2 in the middle of class. This was a massive disruption of the schedules and there was much speculation as to what was happening to them up there. At one point, the lights dimmed for a minute and Neuron had sworn he could hear screaming from somewhere.

When the three clones that made up C:3 finally came down, they seemed different somehow. They were quiet amongst themselves and C:3:1, or Toothy, didn't take Neuron's milk from him at dinner. The doctors kept them away from the rest in a special observation room. They didn't talk, but the way they acted towards each other, you'd think they were having a conversation…

The R:3s soon followed about two weeks later. The same things happened and they wound up in a similar state. Another two weeks went by and then the M:5s were called up. As they were being escorted upstairs, Neuron realized that they were being called up in numerical order regarding how many clones were in that batch. The C:3s had three clones, the R:3s had four, and the M:5s had 5. That, and they were choosing batches in the Knowledge Sections. Right then they were lead into Dr. Sanders's office. There was a large machine in the middle of the room. It was covered with wires and had five seats surrounding it, each with some kind of helmet to cover your head.

They were strapped into the chairs, wires were stuck to their bodies, and the helmets were shoved onto their heads. One of the guards, Hansen, had smirked down at Neuron and whispered, "Welcome to Hell." Before Neuron could ask what Hell was, the machine started humming and whirring behind him. He couldn't look back to see what it was doing and that had frightened him. Another unnerving thing was the strange buzz he was getting at the back of his head.

For a few minutes, nothing seemed to be happening. Neuron had relaxed, and that's when the pain exploded in his skull. It felt like someone had stuck a stinger into his brain. It was enough to make him cry out. He hardly noticed as the others did the same thing. No sooner had he gotten used to it than it intensified to a level he had never imagined possible. It felt like his brain was simultaneously burning up and freezing. He had learned right then why he had heard the C:3s and R:3s screaming. He and the others did it as well.

When the pain finally ended, that's when the voices started. When he had turned to his friend M:5:1, or Razor, and asked him what they had done to deserve that, he had heard Razor's "I don't know" in both his ears and his head! They started hearing each other voices in their own heads. Their initial panic was only stilled when the doctors had explained that they had undergone an experiment in "shared consciousness." They had basically joined the brains of the M:5 clones together into a "hive mind."

After that they got their own room where the effects of the machine were studied. It was amazing for them. They could feel each other's emotions, hear their thoughts, share information. It was incredible. They could truly understand each other, and with that, there came a friendship even between old rivals and enemies.

The initial giddiness from these benefits was soon dampened horribly. All six of the J:3s were called up soon afterward. Only one of them came down and he was a mess. He was in a wheelchair, and he couldn't move, only stare straight ahead and drool. "Catatonic," the doctors called him. He was permanently in the infirmary after that. He couldn't anything for himself, just sit and stare. The other five had "expired" in the experiment. Neuron and the others felt sorrow that some of their number hadn't lived to fulfill their purpose. That would change.

It was a month later that Neuron realized that not only could they hear each other's thoughts, but also those of the other clones. Each one seemed to be like a light shining in the darkness, and those who had been "joined" already seemed to have a line connecting them together. When Neuron attempted to read the mind of the surviving J:3, Hex, he was almost physically ill. Crammed into Hex's brain was the minds of the other J:3s! The experiment had gone horribly wrong. Hex was catatonic because he wasn't in charge. None of them were. Six people were trapped inside one body and they were in terrible, horrendous agony.

Neuron had been about to tell the doctors about all this just before he decided to peek into Dr. Sanders's mind. Dr. Sanders had been explaining to some of the younger ones why they couldn't go outside. Neuron realized that Dr. Sanders was lying about the outside through his teeth and decided to keep the expansion of his mind-reading abilities a secret. He shared this with his group and later on with the other groups when their powers began growing too.

As time went on and their powers increased, they entered the minds of the doctors more and more. The truth became clear to them. The earth wasn't toxic, they were copies of the doctors, and they didn't expire on their 18th birthdays; the doctors killed them. Their entire world was turned upside down and inside out. Everything told them since birth had been a lie. The instant they realized this was the true instant of their liberation. Knowledge was power, and they intended to get as much information out of the doctors and guards as they could without them noticing anything going on. Entire nights were spent going over the day's catch of information and sharing with all the other clones. They all knew the truth now, and they intended to win their freedom.

10 months after the experiments, the M:5s noticed something strange. If they concentrated hard enough, they could make small objects move on their own. They telepathically told the C:3s and R:3s about their discovery and soon afterward the other groups reported the same thing. They kept this to themselves and they would practice whenever the doctors and guards weren't around and where there weren't any cameras. By now, each one of them could pick up two people with their minds. The M:5s were the strongest out of the three groups and since Neuron had been the de facto leader of the M:5s, he became the leader of the Camp Ragnar clones.

He began planning their escape into the outside. The clones were able to communicate telepathically and that gave them all the advantage they needed. They learned everything about their captors. The routines of the guards and doctors, which cards opened which doors, the secrets of the Camp, how to drive a car, how to shoot a gun, how to live in the outside world, everything they needed to escape.

Knowledge, he learned, was only half of power; you also needed the means to act on that knowledge, and with their telepathic and telekinetic abilities, and the loyalty of the other "normal" clones, they had more means than was necessary. Just that day, he had listened in on a conversation between Dr. Sanders and the newly-arrived Dr. Jordan, his genetic donor. It turned out that a single clone at Jason Farms, J:3:3 or "Martyr," had escaped and managed to expose Jason Farms. The facility was compromised and Dr. Kane had been taken in by the police. If one normal, ignorant clone could do all that… what could 48 clones, 12 of which were psychics, do?

That night he had shared this with the rest. The groups had gone over their escape plan three times, looking for anything they had overlooked. It was perfect. It was foolproof. They knew all the secrets of their captors. Their weaknesses, their reactions. Everything was taken into account. Their freedom was assured and so was their revenge on their captors.

The only question was, what then? What would they do with their freedom when they got it? Neuron had been thinking on that for two hours now. No one outside the lab knew where it was and the general public hadn't been alerted to their existence. That would change though. Neuron had seen just what humans were capable of, both in the Camp and in the outside. He didn't trust them at all. He knew humans were always afraid of the unknown, the different. Even the normal clones were at risk. In fact, they were even more vulnerable than he and the other "joined" because they had no special abilities.

Neuron went over the theory of evolution and the X-Men movies in his head. In the movies, the normal humans feared and hated the "mutants," humans with powers like his. He especially liked the character of Magneto. He, too, had been abused and tortured by those who believed themselves stronger. They, the mutants and the joined, were stronger than the normals, therefore they were better, they were superior. Didn't the guards themselves believe that, didn't they treat their charges like animals and imbeciles? Only the tables were about to be turned, permanently.

Neuron turned over and gently looked into the minds of his brethen. Some were restless, others were peaceful. Most slept with no dreams, some battled nightmares, and a few dreamed sweet dreams of freedom. Neuron grinned and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, or rather today, they would have their revenge for the crappy food, the abuse, the lies, the sufferings, the deaths. They would have freedom and the ability to crush anyone who dared to deny them what they wanted. It would be the dawn of a new day for both the clones and the world.

"It's ironic," he thought to himself as he began to drop off. "The name of the camp, Ragnar, is similar to the word Ragnarok. The apocalypse of the Norse culture."

* * *

><p>The day began as it usually did. The clones were awakened by the loudspeaker system alarm and they all got up to complete their schedules, just as usual. There was a strange calm felt throughout the facility though. The doctors were sterner, the guards more willing to hand out blows, everyone felt "the calm before the storm." Neuron wondered what caused the phenomenon<em>. Is it just our nerves? Or are the joined letting out their emotions into the others without realizing it?<em> His mind and those of the others wandered off their math assignments.

_Maybe,_ pondered M:5:4, or Spock, _all humans possess some type of low-level precognition that even they don't know they have._

Neuron snorted mentally. _Don't be ridiculous. We'd probably sense that. Plus, if we had it before the joining, that ability would've become obvious as our powers grew._

_Whatever it is, let's hope it doesn't ruin the plan,_ intoned Razor_. I have a list of all the things I'm going to do when we get out._

M:5:5, or Klutz, asked _When does the plan commence? The stress is getting to me._

_High noon. Geiger and Calc will be getting done with their individual marks. When they come out into the hall, the fun begins_ answered Neuron, smiling.

"Anything funny you wish to tell us, M:5:2?" Dr. Daniels glared at Neuron.

"No sir." Neuron glared at the back of Dr. Daniels's head as he turned around. Out of all the doctors, he liked this one the least. Of course, he had nothing on Dr. Elliot of Jason Farms. Neuron listened in on the doctor's conversations often and learned about the man. If he ever got his hands on the maniac…

He glanced at the clock. 11:54. Six more minutes and they'd be let out for lunch. Six more minutes and their plan would commence. He could hardly wait.

Five minutes later on level 1, the doors on two separate offices opened and a clone with his escort came out. W:6:4 or Geiger, a normal, and C:3:2 or Calc, a joiner, had committed their offenses for just this purpose. The uncomfortable marks would be well worth what they were about to do. As they approached the stairs, they came within sight of each other. Their eyebrows were raised as a signal.

In a flash, Calc raised his hand and mentally reached out to Geiger's guard, Gage, and grabbed his baton. It shot out of his hand, across the hall, and into Calc's hand. Calc turned, and every ounce of strength in his right arm, hit Hansen across the face with his new weapon. That was all it took to bring the man down. Gage stared for a moment, and that was all the time Geiger needed. He turned and slammed his foot into Gage's groin as hard as he could. The man was doubled over in pain the next instant, and when he looked up, he was greeted with the sight of his baton returning to him. Really fast.

Calc recalled Gage's baton and grabbed Hansen's, as well as the man's keycard. He shot over to Security and opened the door, throwing it wide open and disappearing inside. Geiger heard a loud expletive, followed by two loud thumps, a cry of pain, and then a final thump. Calc reemerged and helped him get the other guards inside before anyone came out to investigate the commotion. With all three guards out for the count, Geiger and Calc looked over the security room. Here were all the cameras, computers, and the controls for the tasers. Geiger took the batons and stood by the door, ready to flatten anyone who came through. Calc sat down at the screens and sent a message to his fellow joiners: _We're in. You're good to go._

One level down in the cafeteria, the joiners got the message and relayed it to all the other clones. As one person, they stood up from their lunches and started towards the doors. The guards stared for a moment, then started forward.

"Hey, get back to your seats! I said, get back…" started Jones, brandishing his baton. All the M:5s focused on him; Jones suddenly went flying through the air into the wall behind him. He slumped to the ground unconscious.

The other guard, Raymond, stared and then grabbed for his radio. "Connor man, fire up the tasers. All of them. The clones are revolting, and those joined ones are freaks," he shrieked into it. Neuron telekinetically yanked the radio out of Ray's hand, turned the volume as high as it would go, and then held it out so everyone could hear the answer.

"I'm sorry. Connor is currently unavailable. Let me direct you to my supervisor," came Calc's sneering voice out of the device. Raymond paled and then stared, horrified at them all.

"Whatever you're trying, it isn't going to work. How about we just…"

"How about you just take a nap," snapped Neuron. He raised his hand and Raymond suddenly felt his feet shoot out from under him. The last thing he saw was the floor rushing up to meet him.

Neuron looked down at the guards and then turned to his charges_. This is it. Now or never. You know your jobs. It's time to raise some heck._ The clones cheered then rushed out to complete their assignments. They ranged from shepherding the younger ones, helping the Brokens, gathering supplies, and locating guards and doctors. Calc sat in the security room and saw it all. As soon as he knew where a guard or doctor was located, he'd relay the info down to his fellow joiners, who'd then tell the normal clones. It was perfectly coordinated. Most of the doctors were in their offices and it was easy to grab the keycard and baton off a fallen guard and force the doctor out into the hall. Before they knew it, it was over.

Neuron, the other M:5s, and a few of the larger clones assembled in Dr. Sanders's large office. Before them was the entire staff of Camp Ragnar. The doctors from both the Camp and the Farm, the guards, the cleaners, and the big man himself, Dr. Sanders, were all upon their knees in front of their former captives.

Sanders glared distastefully up at Neuron. "I don't know what you're going to do," He growled. "You don't know a thing about the outside world, you moron. The air itself will kill you."

"That's a lie and you know it," countered Neuron snarkily. "There's a lot of things that I do know, like the fact you think the boyfriend of your daughter, Lizzie, is also a moron."

Sanders's mouth dropped open. "How…how did you…?"

Neuron smirked. "The joining did more than link our minds together. A while after the J:3s were joined, we M:5s started reading the minds of both the other groups and the normals, including you. That's when we realized that something was wrong. You were lying to us." Neuron relished the sudden draining of blood from their collective faces. "We kept that to ourselves and continued reading your minds, absorbing every bit of knowledge available, planning our liberation. We also started developing telekinesis about two months ago. We practiced in secret, letting you think you were still in charge while in reality, we were just letting you think that. A new day is dawning for both us and the world."

The door opened and Geiger came in, pushing Hex's wheelchair ahead of him. Neuron looked up. "Perfect timing. I was just about to tell you what's going on in Hex's head here. The other J:3s didn't die; they were sucked into his head. Thanks to you, there are now six innocent boys in one body, all of them suffering terribly."

"That would explain all the brain activity, yet no response to outside stimuli," thought Dr. Wung out loud.

"Shut up," snarled Neuron. "You've been using us all from day one. You experiment on us, you kill us, and then you cut us up and sell our body parts, all while telling us that we're saving the world. If only we had known this before you joined the J:3s, they could've had a life. The only thing I'm having trouble deciding right now is what to do to you, you little…"

Razor spoke up, or rather thought up_. Neuron, something's happening._

Neuron glared at him. _One moment please. I'm just getting started with these creeps._

_But it's important._ _It's Hex…_

Neuron turned around annoyed only to become stunned. Hex was standing up on his own and even taking a few steps, albeit wobbly and shakily. Geiger stood by his side ready to grab him if he should fall. What was really noticeable was the look in his eyes. The pain, sorrow, and fear of six people were somehow crammed into his eyes. As soon as he was standing by Neuron, he stood up straight and looked at the staff. The change was frightening beyond belief. All the emotions in his eyes quickly converted to a single feeling: rage. A rage beyond comprehension, beyond what a single person could possibly feel. A rage that wouldn't be satisfied by the mere spilling of blood. A rage that knew absolutely no limits. The righteous fury of six people trapped within a single mind.

It was barely a whisper at first. "You did this…" He, or perhaps they, raised his/their hands towards the kneeling staff. "You did this," said Hex out loud. The hands tightened into fists and immediately their former captors rose into the air, grasping their throats and gasping for air. He bared his teeth and screamed out with six voices at once, "YOU DID THIS TO US!"

Neuron remembered seeing a jet break the sound barrier in one of the guard's memories. The disturbance in the air exactly resembled the pulse that shot from Hex's forehead and into those of the gasping staff. Their eyes bugged out of their skulls and they shrieked with all the air they had.

It ended abruptly, just as it had started. His hands dropped, that dull and lifeless look came back into his eyes, and Neuron had to catch him before he hit the ground. The doctors and guards promptly hit the ground too, and they didn't get back up. Neuron and Geiger helped Hex back into the wheelchair and turned to survey the damage. Their eyes were now just as lifeless as Hex's. Their mouths hung open and they didn't move a muscle. Neuron and the other M:5s gave them a quick scan. Their bodies were alive but their brains certainly weren't. Mentally, it looked like someone had broken a colored-glass window into dust.

Neuron stepped back and starred at Hex. None of them were that strong, even if they combined all their power. Apparently joining six people broke some kind of threshold. Neuron shook his head. They would think about Hex and Co. later when they were finally out of this place.

He turned to the others and thought _Grab their money, their credit cards, their cell phones, their car keys, anything we might need. Oh, and be sure to grab Sanders's gun from his desk._ He then contacted the minds of clones throughout the facility with a single phrase. _Scorch the earth._

In every room, there was a pile of paper soaked with cleaning chemicals. In every room, a single clone lit a match and threw it onto the pile and then left the room. Individual fires lit up all over the facility as the clones trooped out, leaving the facility to burn. The sprinklers in the ceiling had been disabled so that the fire wouldn't be put out prematurely. The structure over the facility was the main building of an old, abandoned summer camp now called Camp Ragnar. That wasn't spared either.

A caravan of the employee's vehicles made its way down the road between the trees as smoke ascended from the facility. Neuron looked back on his old home and then turned his eyes back on the road. It was a brave, new world and he wasn't going to dwell on the past. 45 minutes ago, they were slaves and now, the world was their path to tread and no one could stop them. _Garrison, humanity, world: ready or not, here we come!_


End file.
